Green Tea, Matcha, and Buddha Teas *Review*

I am a tea novice. To the core. I’ve always wanted to be a “tea drinker” and maybe someday, I will be. I set the bar high when it comes to life goals.

Anyway, my experience with tea is basically the fruity iced one at Starbucks and a random Sleepytime tea at someone else’s house. I used to drink green tea every now and then…but then somehow fell out of the habit. Full transparency: coffee has my heart. Lately my coffee habit has sort of taken over my day. I’m finding myself drinking two cups in the morning…then suddenly one midmorning…afternoon…etc. I’m not sure it’s technically too much, but I sort of want to get control over it. Given all the great health benefits green tea has, I think it would make a great replacement!

Green Tea Benefits

Green tea’s biggest claim to fame is its’ catechins content. Catechins are antioxidants that fight and may prevent cell damage. According to WebMD:

It doesn’t end in the heart either! There’s good news for the brain too:

“In one Swiss study, MRIs revealed that people who drank green tea had greater activity in the working-memory area of their brains. Green tea has also been shown to help block the formation of plaques that are linked to Alzheimer’s disease.”

It’s pretty remarkable actually. The more I read about green tea, the more I wonder WHY am I not drinking this round the clock!? I will now.

Green Tea versus Matcha

Now that we all know how badass green tea is, let’s talk about green tea’s even more superior cousin…or sister…or whatever: matcha.

Matcha, much like regular green tea, has a ton of antioxidants. According to Men’s Health:

…”this Japanese tea has three times the amount of epigallocatechin gallate, a potent antioxidant, as regular green tea. Plus, matcha contains theanine, an amino acid linked to improved cognitive performance.”

Typically, matcha tea leaves are ground into a fine powder and that powder is stirred directly into your water. No tea bags here. So you’re really ingesting those antioxidants.

The nice folks at Buddha Teas sent me some of their Matcha Green Tea to try and try it I did.

I’ve had some green teas in the past that have tasted a little bitter. Anyone else experience this? This tea was not bitter at all, which I loved. I really didn’t feel the need to add honey or any other sweetener to it.

The Buddha Teas website is pretty cool. If you like tea, or are a beginner like me, it’s a pretty great way to learn about different teas. You can search for whatever you’re looking for (of course), but you can also navigate by benefit (for example, inflammation, memory, antioxidants, etc.).